


Sofia's House

by Willowflower_Waterlily



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Modern Thedas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-04-27 05:39:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5035939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willowflower_Waterlily/pseuds/Willowflower_Waterlily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A modern au where Sofia and Garret meet when he tags along to a dinner with his cousin and her fiance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sofia smiles to herself as she put the ceramic bowl full of meatballs and sausage in the oven to keep warm. The smell of the garlicky Antivan rolls wafted out at her when she opened the oven door. She turns her attention to the tomato sauce on the stove top, stirring it before she starts a pot of water to boil for the pasta.

Scooping the freshly sautéed greens and garlic into another bowl, she thanks the Maker for being able to upgrade to a professional sized stove. Putting the lid on the bowl, she slides it into the oven.

 

Sofia laughs when Dorian rolls his eyes at her. “Are you even going to try to put any effort into your appearance, my dear?”

“But mom,” Sofia whines, smirking. “These are my nicest jeans, and I’m even wearing a pretty blouse. And I brushed my hair.” She combs her fingers through her wavy dark brown hair, mischief glinting in her hazel eyes. “Though, I suppose I am due for another haircut. I’ll have to remember to schedule it.”

She holds up two sets of clips, showing them to Dorian. He points to the royal blue set that matches with her shirt. Nodding, Sofia turns from him, and quickly styles her hair.

 

Entering the cottage, Garret's mouth begins to water when the savory aroma of the homemade dinner invades his senses. His stomach grumbles loudly, and he blushes hoping no one heard.

“It’s about time you guys showed up.” Garret watches the woman pull his cousin and Alistair into firm embraces, kissing their cheeks. Coming to him, she does the same before he can hold his hand out to introduce himself.

“You must be Garret. I’m Sofia.” She grins, looking him over. Garret self-consciously rakes his fingers through his short black hair. “I hope you brought your appetite.”

“She cooked a massive feast.” A tan dark haired man calls over. Sofia rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.

“That’s so you all can take home left overs.” Sofia replies, smirking. “Maker knows you’d starve without me, Dorian.”

“I can cook.” Dorian huffs indignantly. “I just choose not to. After all, why cook myself when I have my cousin cooking for me?”

“Heating up left overs in the microwave doesn’t count as cooking.” Sofia retorts, chuckling. “You, Sera, and Dagna eat here more than at your apartment. Where are they, by the way?”

“They went out of town for the weekend. I told them I’d bring them back left overs.”

Sofia nods at Dorian, before turning her attention back to Garret. He smiles at her nervously, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I’m sorry. I’m being a poor host.” She frowns at him apologetically. “Do you want a glass of wine or some ale? I have some Antivan wine and Ferelden ale. There’s also some cheese and crackers, and cut vegetables if you want something to snack on before we have dinner.”

 

The silence in the room is broken by the rhythmic clinging of silverware on plates. Sofia beams, taking a sip of her wine as she watches her little family eat. Glancing to her left, Sofia looks back and forth between Garret and Solana. If she looks carefully, she can see that they’re related. They make some of the same gestures, and they both have high cheek bones, but while Solana has light brown hair and grey eyes, Garret has black hair and dark brown eyes.

“How did you make these rolls?” Garret asks, the first to speak as the others finish eating. “They’re fantastic.”

“I was lazy with the bread today.” Sofia beams at him, setting her wine glass down. “I made the dough in the bread machine, then rolled it out and cut the rolls the size I wanted. Then I brushed them with garlic oil before I baked them.”

“The food was so… I’ve never eaten anything so delicious ever.” Garret stammers, his cheeks turning pink when the others laugh at him. “Thank you for feeding me.”

“You’re welcome.” Sofia replies, chuckling. “Feel free to come to dinner whenever. I have big dinners like this once every other week.”

 

Sitting on the sofa, Sofia watches her friends jokingly argue about who gets what left overs. She pats the cushion next to her when Garret approaches. “So tell me about yourself.”

“Well, I’m originally from Ferelden.” Garret begins, tapping his leg while he thinks. “Moved my family to Kirkwall, and I went on an expedition into the Deep Roads. I’ve been using the left over money I made from that to travel Thedas. My mother is back in Kirkwall and my siblings are around somewhere.”

Sofia nods politely as he talks, smiling at the others when they join them. “Have you been in Ostwick long?”

“No, and I haven’t had much of a chance to explore yet.”  

“Would you like a guided tour?” Dorian asks, waggling his eyebrows at Garret. “I’d be more than happy to show you around.”

Laughing, Garret shakes his head. “No thanks, I like to explore new places on my own when I do so the first time.”

“Well, keep me in mind for future exploration.” Dorian grins when Sofia rolls her eyes at him. “What? Someone had to flirt with the new guy, and I didn’t see you doing it.”

“Just try not to scare him off.” Sofia shakes her head, raising an eyebrow at her cousin. “Let us get to know him first, and then you can scare him away.”

 

“So who wants tea? I also have some regular coffee and espresso.” Standing up, she strides over to the counter, and turns the coffee maker on. Sofia turns to the refrigerator, pulling out the cheesecake and chocolate dipped cannoli she made the day before. Her friends circle around the island, helping themselves to coffee and dessert.

Sipping her coffee, Sofia turns to Solana. “Have you and Alistair decided what kind of cake you want for your wedding yet?”

“Not yet, we haven’t been able to agree.” Solana sighs, smiling at Sofia. “He wants a cheesecake and I want a chocolate cake.”

“I could make a three layer cake with both, and fudge between the layers.” Sofia replies, thinking how she would ice the cake. “Do you have colors picked out or a theme?”

“We want to do something beachy, maybe chocolate sea shells and blue pipping.”

“Hmm, I think I could figure something out.” Sofia beams at Solana, working out how the cake would look in her mind. “I was thinking maybe a whipped cream icing, because the cake will be extremely rich. I could tint some of it blue for the pipping and make shells out of white and milk chocolate. How does that sound?”

“That sounds perfect.” Solana pulls Sofia into a bear hug, barely letting her put her cup down before she does. “You’re the best!”

“I aim to please.” Sofia grins, laughing. “Stop by the bakery when you get the chance and we’ll go over what other desserts you might want for your wedding, or possible favors.”

 

Garret watches Sofia say goodbye to everyone with hugs and kisses before reaching him. She pulls him into a quick embrace, lightly kissing both cheeks. “Remember, you’re part of the group now. Come back for my biweekly dinners whenever you want.”

“Or any other time.” Dorian adds, jumping back to dodge Sofia’s swipe at him. “Her fridge is always full.”

“Which is a surprise, given the amount of times I have unannounced dinner guests.” Sofia retorts, pinching Dorian’s cheek.

“Thank you, I’ll keep it in mind.” Garret nods at Sofia. Turning, he follows Solana and Alistair, feeling Sofia’s eyes on him as he walks out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Sofia takes a deep pull from her coffee cup before beginning to wipe down the display cases in the bakery. With the bread and rolls cooling, she smiles to herself as she cleans. The Chantry bells ring five times, letting Sofia know she’s been there an hour.

Her business partner Josie walks in, with her wife Leliana at her side. “How are you always wide awake at this hour?” Josie asks, trying to suppress a yawn.

Sofia smirks, pointing to her coffee cup. “There’s a full pot, and some left over cheesecake from last night.”

 

“Did anything interesting happen last night?” Leliana asks, setting her coffee cup down to help Sofia fill the bread and roll display. “I know Solana brought her cousin with her last night. What was he like? Was he sexy?”

“No, nothing interesting happened.” Sofia shakes her head, rolling her eyes at the red head. “Yes, he was sexy but nothing happened. What are you expecting, a miracle? Even if there was some attraction, he’s most likely just here for a visit. And he’s probably already got someone, all the pretty ones do.”

“It’s a shame it didn’t work out with what’s his name, the blonde.” Leliana pats Sofia’s shoulder, before crossing the room to fill and turn on the coffee machines. “It looked promising for a while.”

“It ran its course, as they usually do.” Frowning, Sofia takes a slow sip of her coffee. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath to collect her thoughts. “I’m not in a rush to find someone anyways. I have this bakery and all my friends to think about. If I meet someone I do, and if not oh well.”

“Just don’t rule anything out is all I’m saying.” Leliana flashes Sofia a smile before unlocking the front door and turning on the open sign. “You never know when you might meet the right person. Don’t think it a lost cause before you’ve given it a chance.”

Sighing, Sofia walks to the back room without responding to Leliana. Her friend is an eternal optimist to think that Sofia would find anyone that it would work out with. Maybe this was the Maker’s way of telling her she should remain single.

Pushing the negative thoughts out of her mind, she scans the list of orders that need to be baked. Rolling up her sleeves, Sofia gathers the supplies she needs. She smiles when Josie turns the radio on, and hums along with the song as she combines the ingredients in the large stand mixer.

 

Stepping into the bakery, Garret looks around. Inhaling deeply, his stomach grumbles at him. The smell of freshly baked breads and sweets makes him realize he’s hungrier than he thought. He walks over to the coffee station and makes himself a large cup of coffee, with a little cream. Heading to the register, he smiles at the red head behind the counter.

“How can I help you?” She asks, politely, a big smile lighting her face up. “I’ve never seen you before, are you new here? Would you like me to recommend something?”

“I’m visiting relatives. My cousin is getting married next month, and I thought I would use it as an excuse to look around Ostwick.” Garret looks over the display cases, his stomach trying to convince him that he needs one of everything. Laughing to himself, he grins at the woman. “I’d like that. What would you have?”

She looks around before turning to the bread display. Pulling a piece of bakery tissue out of the box, she grabs a chocolate croissant and hands it to him. “Sofia makes most of the baked goods here, and they’re all amazing, but nothing is better than these when they’re fresh.”

Garret takes a bite of the still warm croissant, and nearly moans as the puff pastry and chocolate practically melt in his mouth. The clerk laughs at him, joy shining in her blue eyes. She smirks at him, watching as he takes a sip of his coffee.

“Amazing, wasn’t it?” She looks down at the register and quickly rings him up. “You said your cousin is getting married next month? Would that be Solana?”

“Yes, do you know her?” Garret asks, raising an eyebrow at her. He tilts his head, looking at her in confusion when she begins to study him. There is an appraising look in her eyes when she nods her head.

“We’re all friends, we met in school.” She smiles looking toward the door to the backroom, a faraway look in her eyes. “I’m Leliana, by the way. My wife Josie, and our friend Sofia co-own this bakery and Sofia is the lead baker.”

“She is an amazing cook,” Garret comments, taking another bite of his croissant. “I’ve never had food that tastes as good as hers.”

“She’s amazing in general.” Leliana rolls her eyes at Garret, making him think there’s more to her thought than she said. “So tell me, are you attached?”

Garret opens his mouth to reply, when a tsking noise stops him. He shifts his gaze away from Leliana to Sofia. Her arms are crossed against her chest, and she flashes a look of annoyance at the red head. Leliana shrugs her shoulders, a look of amusement on her face.

“I hope Leliana wasn’t harassing you too much.” Sofia smiles sheepishly at him, her cheeks turning light pink. “She can be annoying sometimes.”

“But you love me any way.” Leliana mock scowls at Sofia when she doesn’t answer right away. “You’ll hear about this from your co-owner.”

Garret’s stomach does flips when Sofia laughs. It’s a full belly laugh that ends in a snort, making Sofia’s blush darken. They stand there, awkwardly as silence fills the space between them. Garret glances away, trying to regain the ability to think coherently.

Looking back at her, he smiles nervously. “Would you like to go for a walk sometime?”

“She would.” Leliana answers for Sofia, trying to push her toward her. “I’m sure she has some time now. Why not go for a walk around the block? Get some air.”

“I have some cakes in the oven now.” Frowning, Sofia taps her fingers on her thighs. “Another time?” She looks at him hopefully, her lips curving into a small smile. “I could show you a couple of my favorite places in town.”

“I’d like that. Does Friday work?” He watches her think it over, his heart beating a little faster.

“I think that would work.” She tells him, smiling brightly at him. “Meet me here, and we can go to lunch. I get out of work at noon.”

“I’ll see you then.” Garret leans over the counter, and softly kisses her cheek. He hears her breath catch when his lips touch her skin, and an urge to kiss her lips surges through him. It’s been a long time since he’s felt like this for anyone.

He forces himself to step back and smiles when she touches her cheek. They stare into each other’s eyes until beeping breaks the silence. She grins at him and waves, before retreating to the back room.

Garret watches her go, and nods to Leliana. Leaving the bakery, his mind wanders to Friday. He smiles, his heart beating a little quicker at the thought of being with Sofia for an afternoon.


	3. Chapter 3

Sofia sighs in defeat as Leliana and Josephine rifle through her clothes, making disgusted noises as they do. “I’m sure any of those clothes would be fine.”

“No, these won’t do at all.” Josephine replies, shaking her head in dismay. “We still have time. Let’s go clothes shopping.”

“Yes, clothes shopping. We haven’t dragged you out to the mall in ages.” Leliana eyes Sofia, as if she’s trying to figure out the perfect outfit in her mind. “Something soft and feminine and you’ll need new shoes. Heels of course, because you’re so short.”

Sofia growls in frustration, and starts to reorganize her closet. “One, I’m not short. Two, we’re going to be walking around, and heels would hurt my feet. Three, why are you two so interested in what I wear tomorrow?”

She watches the other two women look at one another for a minute before Josephine faces her. “Now hear me out, please.” Josephine holds her hand up before Sofia can protest. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been on a date. We just want you to put your best foot forward.”

“It’s not a date, and I’m working tomorrow morning.” Sofia retorts as she tries to keep her temper in check. “Listen, I see what you’re trying to do and I appreciate it, but you’re barking up the wrong tree. The long line of relationship failures should be enough evidence that it’s not going to happen. Plus he has to already have someone. He’s too good not to.”

“Ah, so you are attracted to him.” Leliana smiles at Sofia, laughter dancing in her eyes. “You should make a move, the worst he can say is no.”

“Or I could spoil the potential for a wonderful friendship.” She holds up a purple button down blouse and a pair of black jeans. Sighing unison, Leliana and Josephine nod reluctantly.

Sofia lays them out on her reading chair, and takes a deep breath. “Could you both please just back off on the whole relationship thing, please? Time and again, I get my hopes up that it might work out and it never does. I don’t want to go through that again.”

“We understand, truly we do.” Josephine tells Sofia, pulling her into a hug. “We just want to see you happy.”

“At least let us take you out to dinner. It’s been a long time since we’ve gone out to eat.” Leliana pouts when Sofia tries to back out of going. She grabs her hand, and clings on to it. “Please,” she begs, giving Sofia sad puppy eyes.

“Fine, just quit with the puppy eyes.” Sofia glowers at Leliana, who beams at her. “It gives you an unfair advantage. It always has.”

 

Sofia glances at herself in the bathroom mirror, making sure her clips are still neat and there’s no flour on her pants. She pointedly ignores Josie’s comment about not wearing make-up and walks into the storefront.

She stops suddenly when she sees Garret. Her heart skips a beat when he smiles at her. She looks him over, trying to not be too obvious about it. He’s in jeans too, with a black tee shirt, and a pair of sneakers.

He leans over, kissing her cheek. Sofia feels herself blush, and prays it isn’t too noticeable. “I was thinking we could grab a couple of slices of pizza from a place down the block, and then walk to the art museum. How does that sound to you?”

“Wonderful, I’ve never had pizza before.” Garret smirks when Sofia raises an eyebrow at him. “What kind of museum are we going to?”

“The art museum, it’s one of my favorite places.” Sofia waves goodbye to Leliana, who surprisingly didn’t say a word while Sofia and Garret spoke. There is a twinkle in her eyes though that told Sofia that they will be playing a thousand questions later.

 

Her eyes widen when she sees the banner for an exhibit of her favorite artist. She tries to contain her excitement, but can’t. Garret laughs when she squeaks in excitement, practically bouncing up and down as she shakes her fists in the air.

Sofia turns to face Garret, and blushes when she sees the look of amusement on her face. “Would you mind if we went to the exhibit first, then looked at the map for other things you might want to see?”

“Of course,” Garret replies laughing. “Lead the way.”

 

Sofia stops in front of a statue of an ogre she’s never seen in the museum before. She tilts her head, taking in the massive size of it. They existed in Thedas hundreds of years ago, but she can’t imagine them being real.

A small smile forms on her lips when Garret’s hand brushes against hers. “Can you imagine finding that in a dark alley?” Sofia quips, still staring at the statue.

“I’d run the other way,” Garret tells her, grinning. “Though, Maker if this is a life-sized model they were huge. What did they feed those things?”

“Whatever they were fed, it was probably in large quantities.” Sofia glances at Garret out of the corner of her eye. She nervously reaches for his hand to hold it, her heart racing. Afraid he’ll pull his hand away, she slowly slips her fingers between his.

She nearly gasps in surprise when he squeezes her hand. Her cheeks heat up feeling his gaze on her as she tries to keep from grinning like an idiot. “Shall we move on?” Sofia asks, glancing up at him. She turns when he nods, not letting go of his hand and guides him toward the exhibit.

 

She struggles to restrain her excitement when she sees it for the first time, her favorite painting. Moving to it, Sofia stares at it, slack jawed. Seeing it online was one thing, but to see it in person was breathtaking. She tells Garret why she loves it, rambling about the curvilinear lines contrasting with the rectilinear lines and forms of the village, the colors of the painting, and how there’s only two strong verticals in the composition in the form of the tree in the foreground and the Chantry steeple in the village.

Sofia takes a breath, shifting her gaze from the painting to Garret. She watches him study the painting with a thoughtful expression on his face. “I tend to go on and on about art. Before I went to culinary school, I went to college for art history. It’s a passion of mine.”

“Thank you for sharing,” Garret responds as he turns to face her. He gently squeezes her hand and his eyes soften as he locks gazes with her. “Show me more, please. I’d like to learn more about the art here.”

Sofia’s cheeks turn pink and she beams at him, her heart doing back flips in her chest. Finding her voice, she leads him to her favorite parts of the museum, explaining things she knows about the art and artists as she does.

 

Sofia looks up as she and Garret exit the museum, surprised at how much time passed while they were looking at art. “Oh, I’m sorry, it seems like we spent all afternoon in the museum. I know you wanted to explore more of the city.”

“It’s fine, the city isn’t going anywhere.” He smiles brightly at her, before he glances down at their hands for a moment. “I want to do something for you, to thank you. Maybe I could cook for you sometime.”

“I’d like that.” Sofia smiles shyly at him, suddenly aware that they had been holding hands most of the afternoon. She stares into his eyes, her heart racing and the butterflies in her stomach working overtime.

Garret leans down and kisses Sofia. Her heart stutters when his lips press against hers and her eyes flutter shut. When he pulls away from her, he looks into her eyes. Everything around them fades away when she sees the tenderness in his expression. “It’s a date then,” He tells her softly, bringing her hand up to his mouth to press a quick kiss against her knuckles.

Sofia nods, having lost the ability to speak. She smiles at him, certain her entire face is bright red. Managing to say good bye without stuttering, Sofia walks away toward home praying she doesn’t trip while he’s still watching her walk away.


	4. Chapter 4

Sofia hums softly as she scatters the shredded mozzarella over the pizza crust she made from scratch. She smiles thinking about the afternoon she spent with Garret, and how he thought she could probably make better pizza than the restaurant they went to. Hopefully he still thinks so after having dinner later.

“She’s humming to herself, Widdle.” Sera’s voice breaks through Sofia’s daydreams. The blonde elf laughs loudly when Sofia jumps, startled. “And she’s wearing earrings.”

Sofia blushes as she touches one of the small aquamarine studs in her ears. She watches Dagna and Sera stare at her with looks of excitement and amusement respectively. “I wear earrings from time to time. It’s nothing new.”

“You’re also wearing your favorite perfume,” Dagna adds, smelling one of Sofia’s wrists. “So what’s he like? Does he like the same things you do? You’ve been talking to him a bunch, is it like or like like?”

“Does everyone sit around talking about me when I’m not there?” Sofia asks, beginning to get annoyed. She ignores her friends' conflicting answers, turning to put the pizzas in the oven. Taking a deep breath, she opens the refrigerator to take out the ingredients for the salad.

 

Answering the door, Sofia lets Solana and Alistair in. She looks at her friends in confusion when she doesn’t see Garret with them. “Where is…” she begins to ask, her voice faltering in the middle of her question when she sees the expression on her friend’s face.

“A friend of his came to visit as we were leaving,” Solana tells her, glowering as she does. “Apparently someone he met in Kirkwall. She fancies herself to be a pirate.”

“Oh we met Isabela before dear.” Alistair laughs, rolling his eyes. Solana slaps his arm hard, making him whine. She motions to Sofia, and his laughter ceases though Sofia isn’t paying attention.

Her heart sinks when she hears about the woman who came to visit Garret. Is she his girlfriend? If he has a girlfriend, why did he kiss her? Why did he say it was a date when she agreed to let him cook for her?

She shakes her head, biting her lip to keep from crying. Clearly she read too much into his actions. He probably meant the date comment as in two friends getting together and maybe he kisses all his female friends. Sofia mentally kicks herself for letting herself get so invested in yet another man that it wasn’t going to work out with.

 

Not paying attention to her friends, Sofia loses herself in her thoughts. They occasionally talk to her, asking her questions but she isn’t sure if she’s answering them correctly. She glances up at Dorian to see him smile at her after she answered his question and saw he was smiling. She shrugs to herself, guessing she told him what he wanted to hear before sinking back into her fog.

 

Finishing the last order of the day, Sofia hears Garret’s voice coming from the storefront. She peaks in through the round window in the door between there and the back room. Her heart starts to crumble when she sees the woman with him. She’s probably one of the most beautiful women she’s ever seen. Far more attractive then Sofia believes herself to be.

The woman, Isabela wraps her arm around Garret’s leaning into him. Sofia gasps when Isabela sees her and winks. What’s left of her breaking heart begins to beat faster and she takes a step back.

“Is everything alright?” Josephine asks, looking at Sofia with a worried expression that’s become too common over the past week or so. “Are you still avoiding him?”

Sofia flashes her friend the saddest puppy eyes she can manage without crying. “Yes to both. I’m leaving for the day, bye.” Sofia quickly grabs what few things she brought with her to work, and leaves through the back door. She knows she probably can’t go home just yet, because they might have been there to see her. To tell her about their love, and there’s nothing she wants to hear about less than that.

 

Collapsing on the sofa, Sofia turns on her favorite movie. Her timid cat jumps up next to her and crawls onto her lap to cuddle. Sofia absentmindedly pets the tortie as she watches the movie. Maybe this time she’ll make it through the whole thing without falling asleep. It’s been a while since she’s watched it all the way through.

 

Garret walks up to Sofia’s house, nervous about seeing her again. He hasn’t spoken with her since the day before her last get together. He wanted to go, but when Isabela showed up out of the blue needing his help again, Garret couldn’t refuse. She was with him and Varric in the Deep Roads, part of why they all got out of there alive. He tried to call Sofia to tell her why he hadn’t made it to her dinner, but he couldn’t seem to get a hold of her.

Dorian steps in front of him, blocking his path. “I normally joke around and get to what I want to ask after, but I’ll be blunt this time. What are your intentions with Sofia?”

“I am attracted to her, and have come to care for her. I would like to see where it goes,” Garret answers truthfully, unable to read the other man’s blank expression.

“And this so-called pirate? What’s she to you?” Dorian sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “If you have to choose between them, who would you pick?”

“Isabela is one of my business partners, a friend and nothing more.” Garret’s brows furrow at he looks at Dorian confused. “Why are you asking?”

“Because the minute Sofia heard about Isabela,” Dorian’s nose crinkles in disdain when he says the other woman’s name, “she thought that she was your girlfriend and has been in a funk ever since. She even let me take her dress shopping for the wedding, which has never happened before. She didn’t even complain about how many I had her try on.”

 Dorian puts his hand on Garret’s shoulder when he tries to move past. “She’s asleep on the sofa, let her be for now. Come to the camping trip tomorrow. Tell her everything then.”

Garret nods, looking up at the door. He could kick himself for taking so long to try to see her in person. It should have been obvious to him that something was wrong when she didn’t answer his calls or texts. Frowning, he makes a promise to himself to explain everything to her, and to apologize for not having told her sooner.


	5. Chapter 5

Sofia stops short when she sees Garret helping set up a tent. She turns and glares at Dorian. “I thought he wasn’t going to be here.” She whispers angrily, folding her arms over her chest.

Dorian shrugs, looking past her toward the camp. She follows his gaze and sees that they’ve been spotted. Huffing, Sofia flashes one more scowl at her cousin before forcing herself to have a neutral expression so she can walk into the camp without her friends giving her more worried looks.

 

After setting up her tent in its usual location, Sofia begins to make lunch for everyone. Josie sits down beside her, reaching for some of the bread to help make sandwiches. Sofia looks up and frowns at her. She shakes her head when the other woman opens her mouth to speak. Standing up again, Sofia turns and nearly runs into a man she's never met before.

“I apologize.” He reaches out, bracing her so she doesn’t fall. Stepping back he studies her with his intense green eyes. He holds his hand out to her, a small smile curving his lips. “My name is Fenris.”

“I’m Sofia,” she replies shaking his hand. Glancing past the white haired elf, Sofia sees the bronzed beauty that is Garret’s girlfriend approaching them. She nods to Fenris before she hastily retreats, not wanting to interact with the other woman.

 

Garret watches Sofia quietly eat lunch, her eyes never leaving her plate. He frowns at her, his heart sinking. She has barely said two words to him since arriving, and it hurts him more than he thought it would.

A hand on his shoulder startles him, nearly making him drop his plate. Garret looks up to find an amused Dorian smirking at him. He beckons Garret to come with him, and walks away not looking to see if Garret followed.

 

Sofia glances up when Garret leaves and isn’t sure if she’s happy about it or not. She feels like she’s being watched and tries to ignore it, but the person watching her won’t be ignored.

“You’re a pretty thing,” Isabela purrs at Sofia, sitting in her personal space. “I can see why he likes you. But you haven’t been too close to him that I’ve seen. Are you involved with someone? Do you appreciate the curves of a woman?”

“It doesn’t matter what I appreciate,” Sofia snaps, giving into her anger. She glares at Isabela and Fenris, letting herself show her feelings for once since she and Dorian arrived earlier. “It doesn’t matter who I’m into or what I like, I won’t be the other woman. I don’t see how you can be so flippant about this.”

Isabela and Fenris laugh at her, doubling over when her scowl darkens. “It isn’t cheating,” Isabela explains while grabbing Fenris’s ass. “It’s agreeing to have fun with whoever you want.” She pulls the elf onto her lap and kisses him fervently.

Having already lost her appetite, Sofia storms off, not wanting to watch their petty display. Reaching the privacy of her tent, she sinks to her knees and cries. Her heart aches for Garret and for herself. She wishes that she could have met him before Isabela did, but knows it wouldn’t matter. Why would anyone stay with someone so ordinary when they could have someone gorgeous?

 

Taking a deep breath, Garret approaches Sofia and sits down beside her. He observes her as she eats, watching her body language change from upset to angry. He glances across the fire and rolls his eyes at Isabela openly flirting with everyone near her and Fenris grumbling good naturedly about it.

Shifting his gaze back to Sofia his breath catches when he sees her looking at him. His heart starts to break for her seeing the pain in her expression, tears shimmering in her eyes reflecting the light from the campfire.

He wants to say something, anything to take her pain away but he isn’t sure where to begin. She stands up, walking away before he can get his thoughts in order. He watches her walk toward the beach, feeling as though he is glued where he is sitting.

 

Sofia stares out at the sea, its waves kissed by the light of the full moon. She lets her tears out, now that she’s alone. She knows her friends love her, but she can’t take any more of their pity. It was stupid of her to overthink where she stands with Garret.

She quickly wipes her cheeks when she hears someone walking toward her. Sofia glances to her side out of the corner of her eye when the person stops beside her. Seeing Garret, her heart clenches in pain. “You didn’t have to come get me,” she tells him quietly, her voice barely loud enough to be heard over the crashing of the waves against the beach. “I just need to be alone for a while.”

“I wanted to talk to you. To tell you why I wasn’t at your last dinner.” Garret reaches for her hand, but she steps away from him, wringing her fingers together. “I should have seen you sooner. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Sofia replies, not daring to look at his face in fear of what might be in his eyes, “I understand, I get it now. I was reading between lines that weren’t there. She’s beautiful, but you deserve more than that. Just tell me one thing, please. Tell me you didn’t kiss me because you were upset about her being with others.”

Steeling herself, Sofia shifts her gaze from the water to Garret. She frowns at the look of shock on his face. The sounds of the waves and the beating of their hearts fill the silence between them.

Chin quivering, Sofia fights back her tears. The last thing she wants is to cry in front of him. “I see… I suppose it doesn’t matter. They’re here to get you, right? You were always going to leave anyways. I’m sorry, I spoiled our friendship overthinking.”

Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Sofia turns her back toward Garret. She feels his hand on her shoulder before she can leave him.

“Wait, please,” he pleads, gently squeezing her shoulder. Maintaining contact, he slowly walks around her to look into her eyes. “Isabela and Fenris needed my help with a venture they had nearby. That was why I wasn’t there that night. I wanted to be there, please believe me.”

Sofia looks down, ashamed of her tears. Garret slowly lifts her chin up so he can look into her eyes. He delicately wipes her tears away. “I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you. That was the only reason. I’ve never been with Isabela, we’ve always been friends.”

“Why would you want to kiss someone like me?” Sofia asks, not fully believing what he said. “I am nobody special. I am just a baker, I stay in town and I don’t go out exploring like you do.”

“You’re wrong, Sofia. You are so special.” Garret cups her face with his hands, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. “You are the most caring, accepting, considerate person I’ve ever met. You’re passionate about the things and people you love. You’re amazing, intelligent, funny, and beautiful. I wish you could see what I see.”

Sofia shakes her head, her heart and mind screaming that he lies, that she’s nothing, a no one. How could she be, if everyone she’s ever been with has left her?

“I’m not…” Sofia starts to say, silenced by Garret’s lips crashing into hers. She whimpers when he deepens their kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist bringing her body flush against his.

A fire builds in her core that she’s never felt for anyone before, her heart racing. She doesn’t want the kiss to end, nor does she want to be without the warmth of his arms. But does he feel the same? Would he if he left for a long period of time?

Anxiety grasps her heart, beginning to douse the flames when someone calls out to them. He pulls away from her, gifting her with the tender look that stole her heart the day they went to the museum. He presses his forehead against hers, his arms still embracing her. “I love you, Sofia.”

“I love you too,” Sofia whispers before she can stop herself. With her heart laid bare for him, anxiety turns to panic when his face lights up. The warmth of his smile lessening the fear she feels. She wants to say more, to tell him why she’s afraid, but their friends call out to them as they approach. “Talk later?”

“Of course,” Garret replies, kissing her once more as the others reach them.


End file.
